5 Tool Brands You Might Not Realize Are Owned By Chinese Companies

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It can sometimes be difficult to suss out which brands might be owned by a foreign corporations, and, for some U. S. customers, the words "American owned" can be every bit as important as "American made." Given the stakes, some companies might, understandably, be a little cagey about being upfront over such things. That may be more true of companies with ownership ties to China, as the country has been singled out as a prime economic competitor to US businesses.

While automobiles and electronics are a big part of that ownership conversation, the power tool arena can be just as tricky for consumers who might prefer to avoid supporting brands with ties to Chinese companies. That's because some of the bigger names in the power tool game are actually owned by companies that call China home — regardless of where the tools are actually manufactured. Here are a few that you may not be aware of.

Some of you may be legitimately shocked to see Milwaukee Tools on this list. After all, the brand is actually named after one of the bigger cities in the American Midwest. In fact, Milwaukee Tools was named after the Wisconsin metropolis because the company was actually founded there over a century ago.

Since then, Milwaukee has developed a reputation for producing a lineup of power tools as tough as they are innovative, and Milwaukee was a driving force behind the rechargeable lithium-ion battery movement, introducing the game-changing technology to the consumer tool market in 2005. As it happens, that was also the year that Milwaukee Tools bosses cashed out and ceded control of the brand to new ownership.

Milwaukee Tools was acquired by Techtronic Industries in 2005. And yes, Techtronic Industries is a company that is not only based in China, but also manufactures products from many of its subsidiary brands in facilities located there. That includes some of the tools that bear the iconic Milwaukee badge. To be clear, some Milwaukee tools are actually still made in the USA, but it's clear that any claims that the company might lay to being a uniquely American brand are now pretty questionable at best.

Techtronic Industries is not the only Chinese operation that's taken control of a foreign tool brand in the last few decades. While Positec hasn't gobbled them up with quite the same fervor, the China-based company has added a couple of brands bearing American origins to its stable of offerings as well, with Rockwell Tools, perhaps, being the biggest name of the bunch.

If you're unfamiliar with the Rockwell brand, the first iteration of the company came into being in the United States. That company eventually went through a number of ownership and brand name changes, and essentially ceased to exist. However, the Rockwell name continued to carry some esteem in America and beyond. The brains behind Positec were likely aware of that fact, as it purchased the rights to use the Rockwell name when it was looking to enter the North American power tool market. 

Positec launched the revived Rockwell brand in 2007. Though Positec's Rockwell currently has a headquarters in America, the brand has hardly turned into a major player in the U.S. power tool market. Still, Rockwell has more than held its own over the years, with products bearing the name currently being sold through Lowe's, The Home Depot, and Amazon, among other outlets.

Worx is, perhaps, best known for producing high-quality lawn and garden gear, as well as robot mowers like the SlashGear-approved Landroid M. However, the brand also offers a range of home and recreational devices like e-bikes, along with a full line of power tools. 

Worx launched on the back of a single tool – the GT Trimmer — and, backed by Positec, has since built out its line with a wide array of offerings regarded for being as tough as they are relatively affordable. Worx reportedly has a development facility in Italy, where many of its products are designed. According to the company's own website, however, none of those products are actually made there, with Worx gear originating from production facilities in Suzhou, China.

That's not entirely surprising, as Suzhou is also home to Positec's original home base of operations. Like Rockwell tools, Worx devices can currently be purchased through any number of major retail outlets, including Lowe's, The Home Depot, Ace Hardware, and even Amazon. 

While AEG may not be quite as big a name as Milwaukee Tools or Ryobi, it's still one of the bigger players in the European power tool market, and TTI's acquisition of AEG came at the same time as the move that brought in Milwaukee, with both operations then held by Atlas Copco.

Like Milwaukee, AEG had been in the game for more than 100 years at the time of the Techtronic acquisition, with the German brand officially taking that name in 1887. The company made a name for itself as a legitimate innovator in 1898 by releasing the first portable electric drill. The company continued to provide powerful, innovative devices to European worksite pros in the decades thereafter, with TTI no doubt looking to stake out its corner of the Euro market with the 2005 acquisition.

TTI also led the charge to change the brand's signature color to orange. In turn, AEG has grown its share of that market significantly since the China-based company took the reins. It's even expanded into markets in the Middle East and Africa. And yes, the outfit's tools are indeed rebranded as Ridgid for U.S. consumers.  

As the China-based Techtronic Industries reigns supreme in the American pro-grade power tool marketplace through the likes of Milwaukee Tools, you likely don't realize that it has also developed a major foothold in the budget tool arena. It fortified that position via the acquisition of Hart Tools, which are currently made exclusively for sale through big box behemoth Walmart.

Like Milwaukee Tools, Hart is another American brand that found itself a subsidiary of the Chinese company. Hart's history doesn't stretch quite as far back as Milwaukee, though, with the original Hart Tool Co. laying its foundations in Los Angeles, California, in 1983. Back then, Hart was primarily manufacturing framing hammers, which remain a key part of the brand's offerings. Over the years, however, the company has expanded its lineup to include dozens of other products, including a range of well-liked, and economically priced Hart-branded power tools that have even earned props from the pro building crew behind BobVila.com. 

As for Hart's entanglement with TTI, the Chinese company acquired the brand in 2007. In the years since that acquisition, Hart has become one of the go-to options for consumers who are seeking the best mix of performance and price point in their power tool purchases.